tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-48936205576799566082018-03-05T08:51:34.662-08:00Unveiledlife, love, and everything in betweenJennifer Diltshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15203687466212299995noreply@blogger.comBlogger45125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4893620557679956608.post-70932624827078152042011-01-28T20:55:00.000-08:002011-01-28T21:47:18.548-08:00What is really reasonable? I don't know. I may never know.The following is a Facebook conversation that I think might be valuable to save... I actually really hate, hate, hate debates because people inevitably end by insulting me for my beliefs in God, no matter how reasonable and kind I try to be. They invariably lead to tears on my end. I wouldn't be surprised if the angry words directed at me are masked tears on the other end.<br /><br />It started when my friend Allison posted a link about Mormons (http://mrmn.org/fYir56). Frankie, one of her Facebook friends (who is openly homosexual), says: Mormons hate gays. :(<br /><br /><br /><br />Jacqueline: ‎....Frankie- read this book: Mormons & Homosexuality by A. Dean Byrd<br /><br /><br /><br />Glenn: Frankie's just trying to cause trouble. And I don't think a book your own culture is divided on is going to help. =P<br /><br /><br /><br />Jacqueline: LOL Thank you Glenn....I think...;P<br /><br /><br /><br />Frankie: i know a little about the book.<br /><br />i know it say how the same behavior is expected between homosexuals and heterosexuals. not engaging in sexual activity until married.<br /><br />but it also clearly says "The LDS church is currently very strongly opposed to equal rights for gays and lesbians. They maintain that their position has remained unchanged through their history."<br /><br />so there is a dislike/hate towards the gays.<br /><br /><br /><br />Kira: Actually, all of the LDS people I've met who are around my age or younger all like gay and lesbian people just fine. A lot of them are friends with someone who is gay or a lesbian, in fact. I myself am acquainted with a few, and I like them, but I don't know them well enough to call them my friends. So I think saying that we dislike or even hate gays is the wrong thing to say. We disapprove of their choices, yes, but definitely don't hate them as a person.<br /><br /><br /><br />Frankie: i didn't mean that you hate them as a person. how can you disapprove of our choices if i didn't chose. did you chose to be straight? no you just chose to carry out your attraction to the opposite sex.<br /><br />but if the lds church and followers had no ill feelings towards gays then they would not oppose equal rights no matter if they believe personally if it is immortal.<br /><br />i highly doubt someone of the lds church would ever vote in favor for equal rights.<br />what would you vote on equal rights for gays?<br /><br /><br /><br />Glenn: Sorry Allison. I couldn't stop the inevitable debate on your status of an entirely different topic. ^_^;<br /><br /><br /><br />Frankie: inevitable? then why try to stop it? lol i cant.<br /><br /><br /><br />Allison: Frankie- "no you just chose to carry out your attraction to the opposite sex" is exactly what I believe. I struggled with this idea for a while, trying to understand all the conflicting things out there about choice vs. "born with it" and what I've come to understand is that there is a choice in everything. I have desires of my own, but I choose not to act on them. Guess what? I want to have sex. It's a physical desire. But I choose not to act on that desire, and that is the distinction.<br /><br />All that being said, I want to emphasize the fact that the church does in fact support equal rights for gays. The only thing that we oppose politically is marriage between anyone other than a man and a woman, because we believe that marriage is an institution given by God to unite a man and a woman. That part goes down to our very core beliefs. But I really like this statement given by a church spokesman because it talks a lot about how members should remember to love their neighbors as themselves and NOT have that attitude of dislike/hate toward our brothers and sisters on this earth. Also, it talks about the fact that the church has supported<br />"rights for gays and lesbians such as protections in housing or employment."<br /><a href=" http://www.deseretnews.com/article/700073073/Official-statement-from-Mormon-church-in-response-to-petition-from-gay-rights-group.html"><br />http://www.deseretnews.com/article/700073073/Official-statement-from-Mormon-church-in-response-to-petition-from-gay-rights-group.html</a><br /><br />P.S. I certainly wasn't expecting a debate on this link, lol, but it's okay. I just want to say that I have lots of gay friends and I love them just as much as my straight friends. I also have lots of friends who have sex outside of marriage, and I love them too. I try not to judge because I know everybody is different and everybody has their own circumstances and even their own personal struggles that have nothing to do with circumstance. In the end I believe that we are ALL sons and daughters of our Heavenly Father, and we should treat those around us accordingly. That doesn't mean that all people follow that, and it certainly doesn't mean that there aren't members of the church who absolutely judge others, including gays, but that reflects on the individual who chooses to be judgmental, not the church that preaches love for all mankind.<br /><br /><br /><br />Felipe: I agree - and I think Frankie meant immoral, but the point is valid... If it boils down to whether or not homosexuality and heterosexuality are choices versus being born a certain way, then it comes down to how you interpret the Book of Mormon and also how you feel about general human rights... essentially being in favor of unequal rights is asserting that gays are less human, similar to the law in the past that delegated Blacks to be less than a whole White person.<br /><br /><br /><br />Allison: I think Nick (or "Felipe") makes an excellent point. We absolutely support equal rights for gays. The thing that gets confusing for some people is the marriage issue, but since we believe that marriage is specifically a union between a man and a woman, we oppose the changing of the institution on marriage in general.<br /><br /><br /><br />Frankie: you can not sit there and say you support equal rights for gays but do not want to allow them the right to marry! if you can not see how hypocritical that is the i dont what to tell you.<br /><br />you are not in support or in favor of gays if you deny us the right to marry.<br />the lds church obviously has an issue with gay marriage. but who is the lds church to define what marriage is? who granted the lds church the right to say what marriage is. go head and practice what you believe marriage is with in your coummuntiy and church but when the lds church sat there raising over 25 million dollars in support of prop 8 (aslo lying at first and saying only $2,078 was raised for the ban on same-sex marriage) then that becomes a issue. so saying the church supports gay rights is a big lie. so the lds church obviously feels threatened by it.<br /><br />who i decide to marry is no ones business but mine, and the fact that the church raised over 25mil. to deny that right to gays in California. hummm says something there....<br /><br /><br /><br />Frankie: the fact the people are allow to vote and dictate over my rights still baffles me.<br /><br /><br /><br />Frankie (presenting quotes... out of context, of course):"how will these be stopped? only by the destruction of those who prctice themself. the only way is...for the lord to wipe them out." --George Q. Cannon, Mormon Apostle.<br /><br />"Homosexuality is an ugly sin. Repugnant, like adultery and incest and bestiality. they carry the death penalty under the mosaic law." --Spencer W. Kimball, Mormon Prophet<br /><br />"Homosexual abominations are fast becoming the way of life among the wicked and the ungodly" --Bruce R. McConkie, Mormon Apostle<br /><br />"Mormon Apostle Bruce R. McConkie stated he supported the death penalty for all illicit sex including homosexuality" [no source here]<br /><br />"Homosexuality is not pure love" --Harold B. Lee, Mormon Prophet<br /><br />"Gays have a problem." --Gordon B. hinckley, Mormon Prophet.<br /><br />so you cant sit there and say the lds supports gay rights when they obviously have a dislike towards gays to begin with.<br /><br /><br /><br />Jacqueline: Taking out your frustrations however on a beautiful young woman who loves you and would never judge you...solves nothing. Allison has not nor do I think she would ever belittle you for your beliefs. I do believe she deserves the same courtesy. You are entitled to your opinions and your own deep feelings on the matter, she did not bring them up and deserves to have her most sacred faith celebrated on her facebook page. Not torn down. She deserves to be respected in the way you are demanding for yourself.<br /><br />I wish you nothing but joy as a *mormon*. You are a child of God and I hope you find happiness in your life even as I seek out the same for mine. There is not a single bad thought or feeling I have towards you no matter what or who you are or how the world would have you be classified. Remember that every person in this world no matter what religion they adhere to or counsel they follow is a person willing and able to love and be loved. We may not agree, we may never agree, but the love is there regardless. Do with that what you will.<br /><br /><br /><br />Frankie: i am not taking my frustrations on Allison, i like Allison. reading back on it i can see how it sounds forceful, and that was not my intent.<br /><br />yeah i brought up the whole issue of the lds church doesn't like gay. maybe wasnt my place. but did i lie?<br /><br /><br /><br />Me: Sigh. You know, Frankie, your claim a few posts ago still irks me a little bit even though you've been defending it. (Summarized as "Mormons hate gays because they don't let them get married.") I'm not sure if you're entirely incorrect in your assumption that Mormons don't like gays. I'll admit I know some Mormon homophobes, but this is certainly not true for most of us, including myself.<br /><br />I have three points to make.<br /><br />First, I don't think there is such a thing as "the right to marry". Just gonna put that out there.<br /><br />Second, you have to understand the difference between anti-homosexuality (the acts) versus anti-homosexual (the people). LDS are not against gay people, just gay actions. Your argument is a classic "straw man" fallacy.<br /><br />Third, you have to understand why we Mormons are all voting against making same-sex marriage legal. Here are our assumptions:<br />1) God and the leaders of the church are in communication with one another.<br />2) God is the author of all that is good.<br />If you assume that those two assumptions are true, as Mormons do, then obviously the most correct and most ethical thing to do when the church leaders say, "Vote against gay marriage. Thus saith the Lord," is to vote against it.<br /><br />And honestly, the church leaders haven't really given us many reasons that stand up in an ethical or political debate. They did say that it would result in bad things for the church someday. We can't prove that in a debate. You just *can't* prove prophecy in a logical debate.<br /><br />You'll hear a lot of Mormons trying to come up with reasons that homosexuality is wrong. (You hear some saying "It isn't natural, so it's wrong." But neither are antibiotics and those are good. And you see other animals exhibiting homosexual behavior. You also hear "People choose to be homosexual." As a student seeking her PhD in neuroscience, I can testify that there are biological causes for it... meaning it wasn't their choice to have homosexual tendencies. It is, however, their choice to act on it. All the explanations people come up with fail.) The truth is, we don't know why except that God said it was.<br /><br /><br /><br />Jacqueline: THAT is the best argument I have heard yet. Thank you Jenna for saying so clearly what we believe. I appreciate it, no matter how it is received.<br /><br /><br /><br />Me: Jacqueline, you're welcome. I'm sure you've struggled with this issue just as much as I have. I've decided there's no way to defend the church's position except by bluntly saying that this is what God told us to do.<br /><br /><br /><br />Frankie: i corrected myself in saying that the lds church is against gays and not just all Mormons in general.<br /><br />i do understand the difference between anti homosexuality and anti homosexual. and i can easily say that they are both. considering the countless amount of people who are disowned by their Mormon family due to the fact that they are gay.<br /><br />what do you mean there is no such thing as right to marry? how come you are entitled to the right to marry someone of the opposite sex and receive all of the legal benefits form it and i am not given the opportunities to marry the one i love and gain those same benefits.<br />thusssssssss making it unfair and unjust.<br /><br />okay i respect that you believe your god is telling your pastors what to do and say. but when it comes down to it, religion has no play into the fact weather im allowed to marry or not. and the fact that the lds church raised over 25million dollars in support of prop 8 is the problem. because when it comes down to it. we have freedom of religion living the united states, so were all free to believe and think and we please. so since we are entitled to freedom of region, who is the lds church to put millions of dollars to a civil rights cause? to me it just seems like the church wants to gain control. so when im free to believe what i want, who is the lds church to come in and dictate what happens? because it clear the only reason prop 8 passes was cause of the lds church raising all that money. second what business does the lds church have donating 25million to prop 8 when we also have separation of church and state in the united states?<br /><br /><br /><br />Me: Again, you are not entirely correct. Sadly, some Mormon families do disown homosexual children. A lot *don't*. You are again over-generalizing. These are Mormon individuals acting, NOT the church. The church itself, as an organization, is NOT NOT NOT anti-gay people. We are ashamed of Mormon individuals who act *against* doctrine and disown their homosexual children. You can't logically say that the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints hates gays. That's like saying the entire Democratic party is homophobic because you know a few homophobic Democrats.<br />I'm not entitled to marry. And neither are gay people. I am not entitled to ANY legal benefits for getting married. And unfair is NOT the same thing as wrong. It's unfair that I was born in the United States of America and not in the middle of Nigeria. Again, a logical fallacy.<br /><br />You can't say religion has no say. You can't leave God out of this. If all these Mormons *really* believe God told them to vote against gay marriage without giving them a good, logical reason, and they do it, you can't just leave that fact out. The LDS church (as an organization) only donated a few thousand dollars. LDS church members (as individuals, independently of the church organization) collectively raised that $25 million. This is another straw man fallacy the anti-LDS media likes to do.<br /><br />As for the separation of church and state... they still are separate. It is, however, *impossible* for religious people to entirely discard their religion when forming opinions. LDS people really do believe that making same-sex marriage legal in the United States will endanger the freedom of religion.<br /><br />“[T]he informed opinions of religious people are as relevant as those of secularists. But all parties must be willing to submit their views to the tests and criteria of critical reasoning and evidence” (from Bioethics: Principles, Issues, and Cases, Lewis Vaughn, Oxford University Press 2010, page 18). As you saw in my above post, I am just as critical of Mormon opinions on this matter. But religious opinions are JUST as valid.<br /><br /><br /><br />Frankie: but i can logically say that the lds church has a dislike for gays! did you not read all my gay hating quotes made by lds church leaders?there is no way you can say that the church doesn't preach a dislike for homosexuals and homosexuality ashamed of parents who disown gay children? if that was true the church would ban them as quickly as they ban the gays form the church. lets not forget the incident that happed when the lds church acted irrational when 2 men hugged and kissed on the check. obviously not supportive of gay people or gay acts when they feel the need to slam them to the ground and handcuff them.<br /><a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/07/11/gay-couple-detained-after_n_230016.html">http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/07/11/gay-couple-detained-after_n_230016.html</a><br /><br />are you kidding me?! if you marry a man you are the granted a countless amount of rights. heres a list of what you get when a heterosexual couple marry.<br /><a href="http://www.nolo.com/legal-encyclopedia/article-30190.html">http://www.nolo.com/legal-encyclopedia/article-30190.html</a><br /><br />its a endless battle with you when you believe that you do know have the right to marry when you obviously do! you can walk into any lds church or church or any city hall and get married. i cant! so that = unfair AND wrong.<br /><br />i can to leave god out of this cause not every one believes what you believe, not everyone believes in a god. the lds church told the members to collect money. of course i knew that. i knew that the 25million came from the lds church members.<br />allowing gays to marry will not endanger freedom of religion.i guess you can say Freedom of religion is already endangered to those who do who religiously believe it is okay for same sex to marry. allowing same sex couples to marry do not interfear with your lives, believes and rights!<br /><br />What you believe due to your religion or just your opinion does not make it factual. i do now have to believe what you believe. so when all those lds members donated money and voted against it, that infringed on my right of freedom of religion.<br />its seriously a endless battle when you come with info of what your god told you. i came with factual information. check my receipts.<br /><br /><br /><br />Frankie: Ok but how is it fair for their god and their belief to dictate laws for a powerless minority in an act that does not involve them? What about people who have other gods and religions? Its not lawful and a direct contradiction to what the country was founded on and what the constitution and bill of rights is for and says. Providing gays with there equal rights does not take away that they may still not approve but its not fair for that to determine law. Freedom of religio and separation of church and state ensures that no one religion can say what can be put into law on the basis of a personal religious choice and belief. We live in a world and country where people of all walks of life live together. So is it fair for a certain group to not have certain rights when they face discrimination under the law when its contradictory to what is right and what the country stands for? What about if the tables were turned? What about other groups rights that do not coincide with mormon beliefs if its not negatively effectin their rights.<br /><br /><br /><br />Me: Show me one of those quotes that says gay people are evil. They all refer to homosexuality and the *action* thereof. I'm sorry you're angry. But DON'T tell me what the doctrine is. I will win in an argument of what the doctrine is. I've been studying it for my entire life. My guess is, you've only heard rumors of LDS doctrine from the media. That link you posted? It was their *actions* the LDS security guards asked them to leave for. They weren't asked to leave just for *being* gay people. As quoted in your article, "It doesn't matter what they were asked to leave for," Snyder said. "If they are asked to leave and don't they are ... trespassing." I'm pretty sure they would have been asked to leave if they had started swearing, too. It was just disrespectful.<br /><br />And gays are NOT banned from the church. There *are* gay LDS people. Don't tell me there aren't. Gay people usually leave of their own volition. People who act on their homosexual impulses though, can be disfellowshipped and excommunicated.<br />Yes, I get rights for marrying a man. But SHOULD I? Am I ENTITLED to them? No. I don't need the list. If gays can't have those rights, neither should I. Fine.<br />You can't prove allowing gays to marry won't endanger the freedom of religion. Just so you know. You can't prove the prophecy that it WILL is bogus either. And you can't ethically prevent people from acting on the belief that the prophecy is true.<br />And you're right, just because I believe God exists doesn't mean He does. But using that same idea... just because you believe He didn't didn't actually tell our apostles anything, doesn't mean He didn't.<br /><br />Anyway, I'm done with this thread. My goal* has been fulfilled. I've clarified the "distortions" and "selective interpretations" you presented.<br /><br />We will never agree. I just wanted to you actually understand what the LDS people actually believe. There are a lot of falsehoods circulating about the LDS stance on homosexuality.<br /><br />Thanks for your time, Frankie.<br /><br />*"Obviously, some will disagree with us. We hope that any disagreement will be based <br />on a full understanding of our position, and not on distortion or selective interpretation. The church will continue to speak out to ensure its position is accurately understood." --Michael Otterson, representative of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.<br /><br /><br /><br />Frankie: You're hopeless. I hope that one day you can become open minded enough to have your personal religious beliefs, that not everyone shares and lives their lives by, restrict a under-represented, oppressed, and almost powerless minority. I hope that you can accurately understand the position of the gay community without your distortion, selective interpretation, and mis-information, and without speaking of them like you know more about being gay than actual gay people. I hope you can understand you are entitled to your opinion but your opinion is not superior to others beliefs on a matter where your rights actually aren't restricted.<br /><br /><br /><br />Allison:After some debate I've decided to leave this post up because I think the discussion is important. Thank you to everyone who contributed.<br />HOWEVER. If I see one more post where someone is directly attacking someone else, it will be deleted without comment. This is my wall and I won't stand for anyone belittling anyone else because of what they believe. We don't have to agree, but I'm not okay with name-calling or other destructive and rude behavior.<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />The end.<br /><br />Any LDS person will understand what a STRUGGLE it is to defend the church in the public sphere, ESPECIALLY in this debate. To be honest, I wanted to save the above conversation (even if it did turn nasty...) because other LDS people are struggling with the concept. Nothing any of the LDS contributors above said anything that really meant anything to Frankie or people like him. However, it is valuable to us as LDS people, and trying to make sense of how to reconcile this issue in our own minds.<br /><br />I'm certain I'm not the only LDS person who, had it not been for the church leadership advising us to vote against it, would have voted in favor of same sex "marriage".<br /><br />Anyway.<br /><br />I am not allowing comments on this post; I feel that all that needs to be said has been said... on both sides. That isn't to say there aren't better ways to bring up a certain point. It's just that there is no way to get beyond the God card until the second coming.Jennifer Diltshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15203687466212299995noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4893620557679956608.post-14328532255751905442010-12-09T14:41:00.000-08:002010-12-09T18:51:19.152-08:00Ah... The Hectic Life!Apparently it's been too long. James reminded me of this. But let it be known that I am still super busy. (I spend all my free time talking to him.)<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.jashsayani.com/wp-content/uploads/busy_person.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 336px; height: 336px;" src="http://www.jashsayani.com/wp-content/uploads/busy_person.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><br /><br />Anyway. Today is the LAST day of classes this semester. I'd give three huzzahs, but I'm not free yet...<br /><br />In one of my classes, we watched An Inconvenient Truth followed immediately by The Great Global Warming Swindle... and OH MY HECK there are SO many problems with both films. Both sides are guilty of propagating lies to put forward their agenda.<br /><br />For problems with the first, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dimmock_v_Secretary_of_State_for_Education_and_Skills">the Wikipedia article</a> on the court case is pretty informative. <br /><br />And for problems with the second, there's this <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=boj9ccV9htk&feature=player_embedded">video</a>...<br /><br />And, of course, Google either one, and you'll find more attacking both of them. Just for fun, here's a kind of amusing Saturday Night Live <a href="http://www.nbc.com/saturday-night-live/video/gore-state-of-the-union/229115/">clip</a>... <br /><br />(Random side note: I was curious about how many of the science professors at BYU believed... and it turns out that the ONLY science professor who doesn't believe that global warming is real and caused by human beings is an anatomy professor. Interesting. Not sure what it means, but there it is...)<br /><br />I am so mad that this issue has been SO politicized that I can't make heads or tails of it. RAR.<br /><br />Anyway. Besides being rather saddened by this, I've been swamped by other homework assignments...<br /><br />I got my gold American medal. YAY! So yeah. It's offical. I can dance the cha-cha, West Coast swing, waltz, and tango in a most sexy manner.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.ballroomdancereviews.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/08/ballroomdancers.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 300px; height: 304px;" src="http://www.ballroomdancereviews.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/08/ballroomdancers.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><br /><br />However, I did get a majorly humongous bruise. It's been a week, and it's changing colors, but it is still gross.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://s3.amazonaws.com/hgl/assets/3361/bruise_blog.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 226px; height: 250px;" src="http://s3.amazonaws.com/hgl/assets/3361/bruise_blog.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><br /><br />Although... to be honest, I think it's kind of cool since I learned about the biochemistry of bruises recently. I could tell you the name of the compounds responsible for the blue color, yellow color, green color, red-brown color... all of it.<br /><br />Wedding plans spice up my life a little bit. <br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.femail.com.au/img/wedding_planning_dum.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 222px; height: 280px;" src="http://www.femail.com.au/img/wedding_planning_dum.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><br /><br />It turns out that BYU prohibits wedding receptions in any Provo church buildings... so we'll be having our reception up in Bountiful. Okay, that's fine. Closer to the Salt Lake temple, anyway.<br /><br />The reception is basically just going to be a shindig. Pizza, dancing, and minimal decorations. Maybe balloons... but helium is expensive. Streamers? Whatever. Anyway, we'll limit the receiving line to an hour... so that James and I dance a bit, too. YAY!<br /><br />Announcements are coming along fabulously. I highly HIGHLY recommend Megan Geilman (megan.geilman@gmail.com) for help in designing... she is great. Over Christmas break we'll stuff 'em in envelopes. Wooooo...<br /><br />In other news... I got a jury summons for Arizona for December 20th...<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.jerrilynnreeves.com/wp-content/uploads/gavel-judge.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 253px; height: 253px;" src="http://www.jerrilynnreeves.com/wp-content/uploads/gavel-judge.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><br /><br />Obviously, I can't go. I'll be in Pennsylvania meeting in-laws. I am planning on a 6-foot snowfall on that day because I want to build a snow fort/igloo with James. We'll need all the prayer-power we can get for a snowfall that big.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://appsci.queensu.ca/news/2006-2007/febfest/snowfort.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 285px; height: 241px;" src="http://appsci.queensu.ca/news/2006-2007/febfest/snowfort.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><br /><br />So... yeah. But they wouldn't disqualify me despite the fact that I don't LIVE in Arizona. Because I'm a student, I'm viewed only as a temporary non-resident... and thus I will not be disqualified because as far as the government cares, I'm coming back to AZ. Gah.<br /><br />So, the loophole? I postpone until March. Then I get another jury summons. Then I postpone again. By the time I get another jury summons, not only will I be graduated, but I will be living in Oregon with my James. THEN I can be disqualified. Yeesh.<br /><br />In the meantime, I get to take FINALS.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://z.trentwusc.org/i/exam-time.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 133px;" src="http://z.trentwusc.org/i/exam-time.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><br /><br />Easy finals? D&C, Western civilization 1, Western civilization 2...<br />Hard finals? Biochemistry, physiology, cell biology...<br />Done finals? Only dance. Sigh.<br /><br />I'll be busy. After I grade the final, I will no longer be a chemistry TA. Sadness of days. I will miss it... a little.<br /><br />Anyway, THAT is the update on my life.Jennifer Diltshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15203687466212299995noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4893620557679956608.post-26349653774034236162010-10-25T10:29:00.000-07:002010-10-25T10:49:36.080-07:00The Heroic and Mysterious Benefactor of BiochemistryI came to biochemistry today expecting a normal class... as long as Dr. Wood showed up. Last Friday he injured himself doing a demonstration in an earlier class, so we hadn't seen him. Dr. Watt had substituted last minute, but of course, he wasn't really prepared. So class last Friday was incredibly boring, and we were all hoping that Dr. Wood was back.<br /><br />And he was! He was here, but had one arm in a sling underneath his dress shirt. The hand from his injured arm was poking out of the button part of the shirt, and the dress shirt arm hung limply by his side. He started class by apologizing... "I'm not... 100%."<br /><br />About ten minutes into class, the door opens.<br /><br />In walks a pizza guy, carrying a tall mass of pizza. He looked kind of bewildered when we looked at his inquisitively. We burst into laughter.<br /><br />"Is that for us?" asks Dr. Wood.<br /><br />"Is this... W140 BNSN?" answers the pizza boy, shifting uneasily.<br /><br />The room bursts into laughter. "Yes!" "Yay!"<br /><br />"Is there a name on it?"<br /><br />"Er... no..."<br /><br />The room bursts into more gleeful laughter.<br /><br />"Is it... paid for?"<br /><br />"Yes."<br /><br />The room erupts in joy.<br /><br />Well, the pizza boy finally decided that his job was to deliver the pizza to W140 BNSN. So he unloads seven boxes of pizza, and leaves.<br /><br />By now, of course, class concentration is BUSTED. We are all overwhelmed by the sweet aroma of pizza...<br /><br />Dr. Wood attempts to continue teaching. He doesn't get very far when his outline of glycolysis... looks... like a pizza. We burst into laughter again.<br /><br />The TA comes in--apparently the department office has no idea about the pizza. After hearing this? MORE JOY.<br /><br />Unclaimed pizza!<br /><br />Could it get any better?<br /><br />Yes. The pizza boy returns--with MORE pizza. By now the pizza is piled sky high at the front of the classroom. The class is as close to rioting as may be possible for a docile BYU class of biochemistry nerds. Dr. Wood is fearful he may get another arm broken.<br /><br />We are all uneasy, more concentrated on the pizza than on the lecture material. Dr. Wood shifts around uneasily. "At what point exactly do we have to decide to eat it or not?"<br /><br />Whoops and joyous yells from the class.<br /><br />Just when the tension was highest, an important looking old man from the department walks in.<br /><br />"Apparently this is an anonymous gift to you because of your broken arm."<br /><br />YESSSSSS! says the class.<br /><br />"We've called around and nobody is claiming it. It's all yours."<br /><br />YAAAAAAYYY!<br /><br />The important guy steals a slice and leaves. The pizza is passed around, and we eat happily. Some regain concentration on the lecture material... but most do not.<br /><br />Nevertheless, today was AWESOME.Jennifer Diltshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15203687466212299995noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4893620557679956608.post-10046454360523468042010-10-03T20:48:00.001-07:002010-10-04T11:04:28.864-07:00Latest Wedding PlansWe have our engagement photos up! So yeah...<br /><a href="http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=280818&id=575908614&l=0c14828f22">Here are all of them!</a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://mail.google.com/mail/?ui=2&ik=39d9e687d0&view=att&th=12b746bc08e45974&attid=0.1&disp=inline&realattid=f_geujglo40&zw"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 405px; height: 279px;" src="https://mail.google.com/mail/?ui=2&ik=39d9e687d0&view=att&th=12b746bc08e45974&attid=0.1&disp=inline&realattid=f_geujglo40&zw" border="0" alt="" /></a><br /><br />I found a <a href="http://www.beautifullymodest.com/store/wedding-dresses/3965m/">dress</a>... But actually it will be poofier because that model isn't wearing the poofy slip underneath. Lame. <br /><br />And the bridesmaid dresses... royal blue and silver, as below!<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.dressale.com/images/large/4/42774.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 350px; height: 525px;" src="http://www.dressale.com/images/large/4/42774.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><br /><br />Except my sisters are silly and well... Rebecca just HATES dresses. I think Jessica just HATES royal blue or something. But they both kind of like black, so I thought MAYBE if they just got the same dress, but in black, they might like it better. It would be totally acceptable two have two blue bridesmaids and two black ones. :)<br /><br />I don't want a cake. I just want lots of awesomely tasty CUPCAKES.Jennifer Diltshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15203687466212299995noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4893620557679956608.post-7833152541056512402010-09-09T13:15:00.001-07:002010-09-09T13:27:57.751-07:00Death By Stress?<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://rlv.zcache.com/feeling_overwhelmed_card-p1379690107580827713v7v_400.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 400px;" src="http://rlv.zcache.com/feeling_overwhelmed_card-p1379690107580827713v7v_400.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><br /><br />Yes. Yes, I am.<br /><br />See... Here's the scoop:<br />1. I'm ENGAGED. So any and all free time is with James... (Not that I mind too much, but hey, it IS a time commitment.) And then there is wedding planning to do.<br />2. He's moving to Oregon in SIX days. And that will be an emotional trauma. Probably.<br />3. I squished as many classes as I could into my schedule so that I could graduate faster and then go marry James sooner. SO. I've got 17 credits. And 6 credits are civ credits... which MEANS I need to read 2 novels (at least) every week, write 3-4 papers every week (at least), and watch one classic film every week -- just for those two classes. I still have 5 other classes besides those two... including a few senior level science classes. Heeeeeeh.<br />4. I also have two jobs. Two! I am a stockroom assistant... and a chemistry TA. So I come onto campus at 8am everyday... and since I have 5 evening classes... I usually don't come home until 8:30pm.<br /><br />So yeah.<br />I'm going to DIE.<br />Although I am surprisingly calm and collected and rather not stressed-ish. Woo!<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.asitecalledfred.com/comics101/images/2005/mar16/overwhelmed.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 385px;" src="http://www.asitecalledfred.com/comics101/images/2005/mar16/overwhelmed.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a>Jennifer Diltshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15203687466212299995noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4893620557679956608.post-32945921196193599532010-09-02T17:11:00.000-07:002010-09-02T17:14:06.086-07:00Just a Sec, God, I'm Busy<a href="http://cidutest.files.wordpress.com/2007/06/laptop-bizarro.gif">Is THIS you?</a><br /><br />If it is, repent.<br /><br />Love, JennaJennifer Diltshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15203687466212299995noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4893620557679956608.post-18527343769041576062010-08-05T11:38:00.001-07:002010-08-05T16:20:58.514-07:00Wedding Planning?!That's right. The strange truth is, I am LEGITIMATELY making wedding plans. I mean, like many girls, I've made "plans". But this is for REAL!<br /><br />ANYWAY.<br /><br />We officially have a temple date: April 23, 2011 in the Salt Lake Temple. I'll be getting endowed just before.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.willdurisblog.com/wp-content/themes/blog/images/090514/salt_lake_temple_weddings3.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 212px;" src="http://www.willdurisblog.com/wp-content/themes/blog/images/090514/salt_lake_temple_weddings3.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><br /><br />I know -- that's FOREVER away, but it really is the soonest date possible. James is going off to grad school in Oregon, but I need to finish my degree here at BYU...<br /><br />So. On April 21-22, I'll be graduating. Con mucho gusto. <br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.patricksmithphotos.info/blog_images/042210-BYU_GRADUATION-003-web.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 350px; height: 225px;" src="http://www.patricksmithphotos.info/blog_images/042210-BYU_GRADUATION-003-web.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><br /><br />Then on the 23rd James and I will get MARRIED! EE!<br /><br />We went to look at rings on Tuesday. We found out that I am a size 4.5 and I found a ring that I fell in love with. And today we're going back to look at specific sapphires (I would rather have a sapphire than a diamond) and then... I'm not sure. But I'm closer to getting a real ring. That fits. I'll post a picture when I get it. :)<br /><br />Other than that, I have officially found a wedding dress I'm in love with. I LOVE IT. I'm not going to purchase it quite yet... (And I hoenstly don't care about the whole groom can't see dress before wedding thing. WHATEVER.)<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://totallymodest.com/img/Julene.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="http://totallymodest.com/img/Julene.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><br /><br />This is so weird.Jennifer Diltshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15203687466212299995noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4893620557679956608.post-49970400854886851412010-08-05T11:31:00.000-07:002010-08-05T19:43:52.958-07:00The Story So Far[This is the story I am emailing to people upon request.]<br /><br />We're engaged!<br /><br />As I've mentioned to many of you, James Dilts and I met in our advanced social dance class. Unfortunately, we didn't really get to know each other that well throughout the semester. In fact, I kept forgetting his name, and he kept accidentally calling me Laura or "I know your name isn't Laura, but..." Still though, I noticed him because he was particularly fun to dance with. So, on the last day of class, I asked him to dance with me for our triple swing final.<br /><br />We ended up talking a ton before we tested, and James proceeded to ask me on a date and get my number. Score!<br /><br />So, the following weekend James took me rock climbing for the first time ever. I was pretty nervous, because I don't learn physical skills. In my observation, I'm probably in the 5th percentile. (Okay, so I'm probably not THAT bad. But nevertheless, I was still a little nervous.) To my relief though, James was quite patient with me while I was climbing. <span style="font-style:italic;">(To be honest, she was faster and better than a girl I had just took the week before, though. ~James)</span> The first wall I tried was too hard for me, but then the second was better. I made it all the way to top -- at the expense of all my strength. After that my arms were shaking. So then we went to Jamba Juice, and talked some more... And well, there were no more plans after that. Sad. I wasn't ready to end the date yet. Thankfully though, James suggested we watch a movie or something. YES! So we went back to my place to watch Back to the Future. Then he had to go to work. (Night jobs are lame. Just FYI.) Before he left he said something along the lines of "call me."<br /><br />And, strangely enough, I decided that was a good idea despite my extreme dislike of telephones.<br /><br />Unfortunately (or fortunately, depending on the way you look at it) he called me first. After I got home from work on Monday, he called and asked if I wanted to come play four-square. Yes. Yes, I did. So I came over and we all (James, lots of his friends, and I) played until it was time for FHE... at which point I decided to accompany James to his because my ward hadn't made any FHE plans for the new term. So we all went up to a park, and everybody (except me -- I was already in a lot of pain and the four square had aggravated it) played ultimate frisbee. It wasn't long before James stopped playing and came to sit with me. We talked some more and ate cookies and popsicles... Hm. I think I like this guy. At some point he offered to come over Sunday to make me biscuits and gravy. Um, yes. After FHE I stayed over at his place to talk until midnight. I went home pretty happy.<br /><br />The next day, to my surprise, I received a call the next day -- it was James. He asked me to go kite-flying on Saturday. I accepted. Only problem was... well, Saturday ended up not being so great on the weather side of things. There was a weak breeze that soon died down and was replaced by sleet. So, change of plans.<br /><br />Bowling! I got to show off my ridiculously horrible bowling skills and he broke 100. After that we went back to my place and watched Episode IV of Star Wars. I originally wasn't sitting very close to him, but then my phone went off. I got up, answered it, and then I replaced myself on the couch. Right in his arms. Woo! <span style="font-style:italic;">(I sure wasn't going to complain about this one! -James)</span><br /><br />On Sunday before he came over, I talked to a friend. He'd recently been trying to introduce me to all the new guys in the ward because apparently I was awesome and should not be single. I explained to him that James was coming over later that day -- "Ooooh! Do you think you could date him?"<br /><br />I thought for a moment. "No..."<br /><br />"Well, why not?" he demanded.<br /><br />"Well... he's graduating and moving to Oregon for a few months."<br /><br />"If you get married, you could transfer!"<br /><br />I retorted, "Oregon doesn't have a neuroscience program! I'd have to start from scratch!"<br /><br />"Ah. Well, if it's the right thing, it'll work out."<br /><br />"Well I suppose so, but--"<br /><br />"So he's leaving soon. That's not a good enough reason to not date him."<br /><br />"Oh. You're right," I admitted, begrudgingly.<br /><br />So I decided I wanted to date him. Which was good because when he came over that day, we made and ate biscuits and gravy, and cuddled, and kissed. And officially started dating only eight days after our first date. <span style="font-style:italic;">(That night in my journal, I was already so twitterpated, that I wrote, "I could see myself marrying this girl." She didn't know about this till a few days ago, of course... -James)</span><br /><br />However, at that point, my friend Lisa was over. And she didn't like him. (One of the reasons being because he was too comfortable with me and she didn't like how he inserted himself into my life.) Well, dang. But we were pretty happy for the next couple of weeks. We spent several hours every day together. Once he brought me ice cream to work. I'd come visit him at lunches...<br /><br />After the last couple of years, I've learned to recognize pretty quickly the facial expression that means, "I want to marry you, Jenna..." Six days after we had started dating, I saw it for sure on James' face. And then I did the unthinkable.<br /><br />"James, what are you thinking?" (I caught myself thinking, he wants to marry me. Er... self, that is a rather arrogant thought. It's probably something else.) <span style="font-style:italic;">(Nope! Absolutely correct! -James)</span><br /><br />His response: "Ummmm... I don't want to answer..." I felt his heart rate go way up, his breathing quickened, I noticed his hands get sweatier, and a rather interesting look appear on his face.<br /><br />That was enough to verify rather than disprove my suspicions (Oooh, Self, you were right!), so I told him, "You don't have to tell me." But he wanted to. So, after several minutes of deep breathing and courage building, he finally said, "I was thinking that... that I'm sad I have to wait so long to propose." Because well... six days of dating is a little fast even for Provo.<br /><br />To his relief I didn't immediately freak out and run away. I pointed out again that he was moving to Oregon and I couldn't come with him for at least another year. And he pointed out that although it wasn't ideal, it could still work out if it was right. True... but now I was thinking about whether or not I did want to marry James. Honestly, the idea did freak me out a little.<br /><br />After about another week, I started to feel uncomfortable enough about the whole idea that I decided it would be prudent to break up with him. I prayed about it, and rather than clarifying my feelings, I just felt the same... not too great. The day when I finally built up the resolve and courage to do so was the day before he to London and then Tunisia on a research conference for a couple weeks.<br /><br />And so... I did. I broke up with him. He wasn't very happy. In fact, I'm pretty sure I've never seen anybody so devastated in my life (at least right in front of my eyes). He just kind of sat there for a bit, then went into the bathroom to pray about it... came out again... "I should go." So he did.<br /><br />I shut off all my lights and then crept into the bathroom to blow my nose. To my shock though, the window was open. And James hadn't just left. He was in the parking lot talking on the phone to his mom... I just kind of sat there under the window in a shock of some sort. I could hear his voice loud and clear. He finally left to go to work. And then I still sat underneath the window crying for a while. <span style="font-style:italic;">(I had to work at the hotel that night before my trip. I curled up in a ball on the floor and just lay there, depressed. I was SURE things were just going to work out eventually... It was very depressing. -James)</span><br /><br />The next few weeks sucked. I oscillated between 1) the urge to get on a plane to Tunisia to find him and tell him we should get married, <span style="font-style:italic;">(She mentioned this one on her blog, which didn't help ME out any.... -James) </span>and 2) the consolation that it probably was a good thing. I prayed about it more, even more earnestly, and everything I felt came into focus. My answer was clarified from just a general "Meeeeeh..." to a much better, "Well, you could totally marry him. If you wanted to."<br /><br />And well, at the time I didn't. There wasn't really any good reason in my head for not wanting to, because I couldn't think of much that bothered me besides the speed of the relationship, the fact that we would have had to be apart for a year, and the trivial annoyance that he moved too much when we were cuddling sometimes. Still I didn't want to at the time. So I felt much better.<br /><br />But then... James and I started to see each other again. The first time we saw each other again we went to a little Social Dance Club get together at the Malt Shoppe. It... was terribly awkward. I noticed again all the things I liked about him. Self, I thought. This is very strange. <span style="font-style:italic;">(That first night... Oh... I had thought I was mostly over her. I had been working on getting over her for a month after all. But, when I first saw her, it all came rushing back. I wanted to marry her, dang it, and I was willing to fight for her. And there was even a small chance it was something else I was fighting and not God's answer! -James)</span><br /><br />But we kept seeing each other sometimes. For example, I'd see him at dance... and we'd dance... and I'd notice how much I liked being in his arms. And sometimes he would come over, because strangely enough, sometimes no one else besides him wanted to color or blow bubbles with me... Strange, Self. He likes to do a lot of the same things I do. And on Cow Appreciation Day, nobody else wanted to dress up like a cow to get free Chik-Fil-A (what the heck!?). And sometimes when I was not doing so well, I knew that at least I could turn to him for help. <span style="font-style:italic;">(For all these awesome fun things? I kept on thinking, "Dang it, girl, don't you see I'm the only one who wants to do these crazy things? Do you notice?" Sigh.... -James)</span><br /><br />Sometime in early July, we talked some more about marriage. I clarified to him that I didn't feel good about it because I didn't want to marry him and not because God disapproved of the whole idea. I even told him that although right now I didn't really feel like marrying him, maybe after I graduated from BYU next year, things might be different and I'd feel differently. And then I could come up to Oregon to marry him. But at that point it was more musing aloud than actually seriously thinking about it. <span style="font-style:italic;">(Though, let me tell you, I couldn't have been happier. I mean, really, there WAS a chance? Amazing! It might have been a year away, but it was still there. Certainly encouraged me in my efforts! -James)</span><br /><br />Last Sunday he wanted to go dance with me, but because I hadn't been feeling very well earlier that day, I instead invited him over to watch The Princess and the Frog at my place with a few other people. At some point he yoinked me over and we cuddled. This is probably a bad idea, Self. Oh, I know, Self, but it feels sooo good! After the movie we talked for a bit... and then it was midnight and thus time for him to leave. I got ready for bed... and then saw my phone blinking. James had messaged me suggesting we go on a walk. I thought about it briefly and accepted.<br /><br />So we went walking up to the temple. But the grounds were already locked and such. So we found a bench in front of the MTC and just sat there talking for a while. Eventually our talk turned to the subject of marriage again. James admitted that he wanted to marry me. And me? Well, I admitted to him again (I'd told him before) that there was another guy I really liked.<br /><br />To my shock, James was willing to play second fiddle for a while on the off-chance that I'd want to marry him eventually. This did not quite compute in my mind.<br /><br />"This is crazy, James. Do you know how crazy this is? You know the odds are stacked WAY against your favor? I've liked this other guy so much for so long..." Plus, he's been one of my best friends for years.<br /><br />"I know. It doesn't make any sense, I know. If you had told me a year ago that after dating a girl for two weeks, she'd break up with me, and then months later I'd be willing to be the second choice on the slim chance she won't marry her first choice, I'd call you crazy."<br /><br />"It is crazy!" I replied. "Why in the heck would you do that?"<br /><br />He got very serious. "Because you're amazing. And if marrying you means being second choice at first, I'll take it." <span style="font-style:italic;">(I meant every word. She IS amazing. I love her crazy much so. -James)</span><br /><br />We eventually got home just after 5am... And I was pretty stressed out. As far as I could tell, my life was like a little Mormon soap opera. Ugh. <br /><br />On Monday, I got a blessing of comfort from my sorta-brother Clifton... which basically affirmed what I already knew: both choices were good choices. I could marry James and it'd be good. Or I could pass up this opportunity and see what opportunities showed up during my last year at BYU. That would also be good. And I felt calm again. I had two very good, very different options.<br /><br />On Tuesday I had an epiphany while I was at work. I was doing inventory in my section when my mind began to wander... I began to visualize my options in my head. And to my shock -- when I pictured myself marrying James I found myself grinning like a madwoman and deliriously happy inside. So I decided. Right then. I was a little terrified by my sudden change of heart and focus, but long ago I had decided that I should only make faith-based decisions and not fear-based ones. So I did my best to ignore my nerves.<br /><br />Now I just had to talk to James. Which proved... well, pretty easy. He messaged me to ask if I was hungry... and I was. We went out for pizza. <span style="font-style:italic;">(And she ALMOST replied that she was going to dinner group. Silly woman! -James)</span> And then we came to to my apartment and sat on the couch. We were not sitting very close...<br /><br />"So what if we did get married?" I interrogated him with lots of questions about his career and other important matters... All satisfactory answers. Then we sat in silence for a bit.<br /><br />I abruptly leaned over and cuddled him. Then I laid out the plan. "James. I'm going to the temple on Saturday morning. You should go to the temple sometime this week too. And as long as neither of us feel bad about this after that, let's get married." As far as I could tell, this took him completely by surprise. But he liked this plan so we did it. <span style="font-style:italic;"> (My mind said, "WHAT THE.... HOLY HANNAH.... WHAT... BWA.... bwaaa.... breathe... .... ... ... ... YEEEEEESSSSSS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" -James)</span><br /><br />He went on Friday -- all was well. And I went on Saturday morning. And basically -- as soon as I sat down in the baptistry, I knew. So went I got out after a couple of hours, I could hardly drive back home I was so excited. And then I called him and told him that all was well... And after I hung up I danced around my apartment impatiently. <span style="font-style:italic;">(Sorry it took so long, I was already at the store. I just had to pick out the flowers.... -James)</span><br /><br />Finally -- a knock on the door. I pull it open to find James down on one knee, with flowers and a ring. "Jenna, will you marry me?"<br /><br />I grinned and bounced into his arms. "YES! Yes, I will, I will!"<br /><br />And that's how it happened. :D <span style="font-style:italic;">(Crazy, ain't it? -James)</span>Jennifer Diltshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15203687466212299995noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4893620557679956608.post-36422431763262891672010-07-22T19:11:00.001-07:002010-07-22T19:21:11.801-07:00Almost BirthdayToday involved all of these items...<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://bakingbites.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/10/nwcircanimals.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 267px; height: 350px;" src="http://bakingbites.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/10/nwcircanimals.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://icanhascheezburger.wordpress.com/files/2008/02/funny-pictures-cat-bites-bubble-wrap.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 300px; height: 225px;" src="http://icanhascheezburger.wordpress.com/files/2008/02/funny-pictures-cat-bites-bubble-wrap.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://gadgetsin.com/uploads/2010/02/world_of_warcraft_plush_pets_3.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 300px; height: 203px;" src="http://gadgetsin.com/uploads/2010/02/world_of_warcraft_plush_pets_3.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><br /><br />So today was a good day.Jennifer Diltshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15203687466212299995noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4893620557679956608.post-45827534495548271222010-07-22T12:47:00.000-07:002010-07-22T18:53:16.914-07:00CurlsI think my hair is meant to be curlier than I'm letting it be. This is about what it looks like now...<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://whysnape.tripod.com/images/hp5/snape_unknown.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 300px; height: 200px;" src="http://whysnape.tripod.com/images/hp5/snape_unknown.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><br /><br />And THIS is what I suspect it wants to be.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.naturallycurly.com/img/user_images/phpfp6azu.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 300px; height: 351px;" src="http://www.naturallycurly.com/img/user_images/phpfp6azu.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><br /><br />Ay caramba. This is going to take some work.Jennifer Diltshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15203687466212299995noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4893620557679956608.post-7831404134380242452010-07-06T14:02:00.000-07:002010-07-06T14:04:25.821-07:00Bored.I'm bored, but not this bored.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://chuckwarnockblog.files.wordpress.com/2010/03/bored-baby-1284.jpeg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 500px; height: 554px;" src="http://chuckwarnockblog.files.wordpress.com/2010/03/bored-baby-1284.jpeg" border="0" alt="" /></a>Jennifer Diltshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15203687466212299995noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4893620557679956608.post-32627126597892749292010-07-04T10:43:00.000-07:002010-07-04T14:45:50.972-07:00Bombs Bursting in AirFireworks are beautiful. Last night Lisa felt like driving so we drove down to Spanish Fork and then back. On the way back, we had a spectacular view from the freeway... It was gorgeous.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://media.nj.com/hudsoncountynow_impact/photo/macys-fireworksjpg-1f5b23d40dabb90f_large.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 392px; height: 685px;" src="http://media.nj.com/hudsoncountynow_impact/photo/macys-fireworksjpg-1f5b23d40dabb90f_large.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a>Jennifer Diltshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15203687466212299995noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4893620557679956608.post-83731137462815038032010-07-03T23:42:00.000-07:002010-07-03T23:52:28.591-07:00Kill ModeI discovered tonight that I have a kill mode.<br /><br />Lisa's apartment had a disgusting amount of flying insects in it. I decided to kill them all.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.truegameheadz.com/blogheadz/wp-content/uploads/2009/09/s8_5.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 545px; height: 306px;" src="http://www.truegameheadz.com/blogheadz/wp-content/uploads/2009/09/s8_5.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><br /><br />Okay, so it wasn't QUITE that explosive.<br /><br />But there was ammunition. WINDEX. I shot them all down from the sky with a stream of deadly blue, and then drowned/poisoned them to death.<br /><br />I was on a rampage. Every time I saw a bug my eyes dilated and focused right up on it... and I was on the hunt.<br /><br />They all died. Every single one of them.Jennifer Diltshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15203687466212299995noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4893620557679956608.post-39679395543385057382010-07-02T01:30:00.001-07:002010-07-02T01:30:42.499-07:00ExcellentBe excellent to each other. --Bill and Ted<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://mutantreviewers.files.wordpress.com/2009/10/wyld-stallyns.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 267px;" src="http://mutantreviewers.files.wordpress.com/2009/10/wyld-stallyns.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a>Jennifer Diltshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15203687466212299995noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4893620557679956608.post-89923851070754201472010-06-30T09:20:00.000-07:002010-06-30T09:22:24.904-07:00DancingI love dancing. I really do. I've been going to social dance club every week with Clifton. Which is fun, but...<br /><br />Not nearly as fun as taking the dance classes! I crashed a 380 class today.<br /><br />AND GUESS WHAT. There are extra guys. Which means -- everyone in that room would love it if I came every day. Betsey, the instructor, was like YEAH! TOTALLY COME EVERY DAY!<br /><br />So. I will. Heart. <3<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.theholidaydirectory.co.uk/holphotos/90.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 300px; height: 375px;" src="http://www.theholidaydirectory.co.uk/holphotos/90.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a>Jennifer Diltshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15203687466212299995noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4893620557679956608.post-72256875966785638922010-06-29T23:17:00.000-07:002010-06-29T23:22:12.845-07:00BubblesWhy don't more people find such pure joy in blowing bubbles? I know people like bubbles in general, but sometimes I wonder why they don't make people even HAPPIER. Bubbles are spherical joy...<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://earthhopenetwork.net/child_blowing_bubbles.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 330px;" src="http://earthhopenetwork.net/child_blowing_bubbles.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a>Jennifer Diltshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15203687466212299995noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4893620557679956608.post-6529524192514057232010-06-27T21:49:00.000-07:002010-06-27T21:54:37.119-07:00Yay!Clifton taught me how to tie a tie today. It was awesome. I had bought a tie a couple years ago when he was around for freshman year, but I kept forgetting to ask him how to tie it.<br /><br />And then he left on his mission. So now that he's back I asked him how. A little part of me is complete now.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.tieracksblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/08/tie.gif"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 396px; height: 320px;" src="http://www.tieracksblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/08/tie.gif" border="0" alt="" /></a>Jennifer Diltshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15203687466212299995noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4893620557679956608.post-41042196745502975942010-06-24T22:54:00.000-07:002010-06-24T23:09:36.666-07:00Awesome Things From Today1) Lemonade pie, courtesy of Elisa Andersen... Mix one can of frozen lemonade concentrate and one quart of vanilla ice cream. Put it in a graham cracker crust. Freeze. EXCELLENT.<br /><br />2) I feel really cool when I move boxes ten times my size with a pallet jack. Like, strong and stuff.<br /><br />3) Coloring books are super cool. Coloring with cool people is even cooler.<br /><br />4) I like it when people feed me. For free.<br /><br />5) Having a brother in Provo is. so. nice.<br /><br />6) Realizing that xkcd's most important contribution in my life is this: I know check everywhere I go for potential velociraptor attack entry. <a href="http://xkcd.com/87/">http://xkcd.com/87/</a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://imgs.xkcd.com/comics/velociraptors.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 300px; height: 204px;" src="http://imgs.xkcd.com/comics/velociraptors.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><br /><br />7) <a href="http://www.topatoco.com/merchant.mvc?Screen=PROD&Store_Code=TO&Product_Code=QC-BAKING-APRON&Category_Code=QC">This.</a> And I quote, "Man, don't you feel like a friggin' GENIUS SCIENTIST when a recipe comes together the right way? You're the EINSTEIN OF POUNDCAKE. The NEWTON OF COOKIES. The CURIE OF RADIOACTIVE PIZZAS. Okay that last one was a bad analogy. But dang if baking ain't the tastiest science there is. This apron lets everybody around you know that YOU HAVE HARNESSED THE POWER OF BAKING and are NOT TO BE TRIFLED WITH." This practically sums up my life in the kitchen.Jennifer Diltshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15203687466212299995noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4893620557679956608.post-43121897952923696382010-06-22T22:45:00.001-07:002010-06-22T22:51:58.004-07:00Clifton is BackAnd in Provo!<br /><br />This IS glorious. Oh, I knew I missed him, but I kind of purposely trying to minimize it in my head to make it more tolerable. I spend a ton of time with him, and I'm so glad.<br /><br />He still gets a surprised look on his face when I randomly exclaim "YOU'RE BACK! I'M SO GLAD!" Apparently even the cascade of letters I sent while he was gone was not enough to make him expect that.<br /><br />Occasionally, if I think too hard about it, I get all teary-eyed. Teary eyes of joy.<br /><br />"Was it really THAT bad when I was gone?"<br /><br />"Yes," I responded.<br /><br />"Oh."<br /><br />I can talk to him WHENEVER I want. And even more exciting -- he can talk back whenever he wants. I can call him, text him, email him, visit him, hug him...<br /><br />I'm so happy.Jennifer Diltshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15203687466212299995noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4893620557679956608.post-80082637881352524362010-06-12T19:40:00.000-07:002010-06-12T20:40:27.531-07:00I think...I think I had to pee while I was dreaming last night. In dreamstate, I awoke to find a bathroom. I was sleeping over at M8 because I had locked myself out of my own apartment...<br /><br />On my quest to find the bathroom, I suddenly realized that M8 was a lot bigger than M10. Where M10 had a coat closet, M8 had a shiny white bathroom. I daintily used it. I noted that when I looked in the mirror I had long, wavy blonde hair. This confused me until decided I must have dyed and permed it and then just forgotten.<br /><br />Then intrigued about the possibly of more differences in the apartment, I decided to explore some more. I went into the hall, and then saw that the hallway opened up into a vast, shiny, tiled room... Full of exotic plants. I went in, and found myself in the largest and most beautiful bathroom I'd ever seen...<br /><br />There was a river of showers on the right side and a large waterfall bath on the left. On the far end of the bathroom was a curtained entry-way to MORE luxurious rooms... Of course, I investigated.<br /><br />I found the most beautiful bedroom ever...<br /><br />And ohmycrapthereisamanlivinghere!<br /><br />An attractive man. He was blond, blue-eyed, and had perfect teeth.<br /><br />He didn't notice me, but I watched him for a while. He wasn't doing very exciting things... paperwork (for what, I wonder?) and organizing.<br /><br />I went back to the bathroom and then I went and found the real residents of M8... "Jane! There is a guy living back there!"<br /><br />"Uh-huh, we know. It's only until he finds his wife."<br /><br />"And how long is that?"<br /><br />And then the man came in. "Jenna! I've looked all over for you!"<br /><br />"For me?"<br /><br />"Yes! You're my wife!"<br /><br />I was confused. But he had paperwork that said I was supposed to marry him. <br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.cartoonstock.com/lowres/aba0719l.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 394px;" src="http://www.cartoonstock.com/lowres/aba0719l.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><br /><br />Strangely enough, I didn't feel very opinionated about the whole thing, so we had a quick marriage in the big bathroom.<br /><br />And then we were supposed to have our honeymoon in the beautiful bedroom and apparently the tropical paradise behind that... but I suddenly decided I didn't really like him all that much. It was really awkward until I put something in his soda and he promptly fell asleep.<br /><br />So I ran away in a flowing red dress with a blue umbrella into the stormy night...<br /><br />And then I woke up because now I had to pee for real.Jennifer Diltshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15203687466212299995noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4893620557679956608.post-72243732727162994022010-06-07T13:26:00.000-07:002010-06-08T15:43:11.967-07:00Welcome to AdulthoodWhere DO all those bills come from?<br /><br />I've been living off of very little for so long that I expected that working full-time this summer (for the first time in my life) would be easy in the financial department. But no, I can't really say that's what's really going on. Unexpected costs are popping up all over the place.<br /><br />Take for example my glasses.<br /><br />Two nights ago I sat on them and they are thoroughly unwearable. And now I need to pay for glasses. Gaugh!<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2414/2321493465_b6d24933a6.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 500px; height: 336px;" src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2414/2321493465_b6d24933a6.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><br /><br />Also medical bills, and a contract for fall/winter. My computer is fizzling out, and my flat iron has bit the dust. My jeans got holes in irreparable places, and my parents may need help paying for insurance. AND my car needs more antifreeze. I was hoping I wouldn't need student loans after working the whole summer through... but alas, I am pretty sure I'll need them anyway.<br /><br />In brighter financial news, I got a 1/4 tuition scholarship and a 1/4 tuition grant... equaling a whole grand 1/2 tuition already paid for. That is a $4500 blessing.<br /><br />Things are not all bad.Jennifer Diltshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15203687466212299995noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4893620557679956608.post-11085286699338432062010-06-06T19:44:00.000-07:002010-06-07T13:30:42.861-07:00Meet the WardI have been in the BYU 11th Ward for approximately... let's see... one, two, three, four, five... ... ... FOURTEEN months. I am scheduled to stay until fall semester, making that SIXTEEN months. I... feel like moving away. So I didn't get another contract here.<br /><br />Since then, I've been nervously waiting on waiting lists for other popular apartment complexes, such as Regency.<br /><br />However... I just realized I need to stay in the ward. So, I will move into House, I think. I've lived almost EVERYWHERE on this one little block. Red brick, white brick, Linford, and now even House. Ha!<br /><br />I have mixed feelings about staying the ward. See, I love the people.<br /><br />But then there's a HUGE emphasis on getting married. Today church consisted of trying comfort our fears of getting married.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://missionarymormon.files.wordpress.com/2008/08/wedding-108.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 466px; height: 700px;" src="http://missionarymormon.files.wordpress.com/2008/08/wedding-108.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><br /><br />Um, I'm not afraid of getting married. I'm just not. And I don't really think the "problem" with the ward members is fear of marriage.<br /><br />The problem isn't marriage. It's DATING. Which is prerequisite to marriage. Do you know how long it's been since ANY of the guys in my ward even bothered to ask me on a date?<br /><br />January.<br /><br />January!<br /><br />It's not that the men in the ward don't know who I am. Believe me, I am well-known in my ward. Most people know who Jenna is. And the guys assure me that I'm attractive, both physically and personality-wise. It just so happens though, that I am rarely, if ever, asked on dates. (I should mention at least, that I did date a ward member for a couple months, but that was a while ago. He was the only ward member to show any interest in the entire fourteen months I've been here.)<br /><br />The reason I mention this, or even noticed this, is because... the majority of the OTHER women in the ward feel the same way. The guys are fond of us, it seems, but it just hasn't occurred to them that they could DATE us.<br /><br />And then they wonder why the female members of the 11th ward are ready to strangle each and every one of them...Jennifer Diltshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15203687466212299995noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4893620557679956608.post-35349934909742380052010-05-19T14:00:00.000-07:002010-05-19T14:05:56.166-07:00Nana JennaI'm really excited to be old. I'm definitely going to be one hip old lady.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://farm1.static.flickr.com/7/13300305_d9ee1cd8d1.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 500px; height: 375px;" src="http://farm1.static.flickr.com/7/13300305_d9ee1cd8d1.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a>Jennifer Diltshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15203687466212299995noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4893620557679956608.post-29479354471425686782010-05-17T20:43:00.000-07:002010-07-02T01:39:00.595-07:00I feel like a cosine function today. Up and down... and on and on forever.[edits made later to clarify originially unclear thoughts are in brackets]<br /><br />dear blog,<br /><br />I blatantly stole that intro from Rochelle's blog style, but chances are it will only be for today. Today I shall ramble because... I hurt inside.<br /><br />About two weeks ago, I started dating James. Who is pretty much... awesome. And then yesterday, we stopped dating. Unfortunately (for me), he is STILL awesome. So I am a little bit miffed. <br /><br />Especially because it makes me feel trigonometric. I... oscillate. One minute I'll be like... okay, okay, this [breaking up] is the right thing. And the next? I'm checking to see if I have enough money to hop on a plane and find him in London. Or Tunisia. He is in one of those places right now. The plane-hopping desires are probably not healthy. Or wise.<br /><br />Ironically -- three weeks ago I hated boys because I hated being single.<br /><br />Today I am single again, and... the idea of being un-single makes me feel a little nervous and uneasy. [I don't really want to date right now.] So I kind of hate boys for the opposite reason.<br /><br />It is because of such occurrences that I have come to the conclusion that I, like all women, have no clue what I actually want. It is a darned good thing that I have a loving Father in Heaven who somehow DOES know what I want... [BECAUSE after some time of reflection I discovered that I am doing the right thing, because it IS what I want. It took a long time to figure it out. But God knew, even when my own confused, muddled feelings were too difficult to sort through.]<br /><br />I am also worried about James, because I really care about him, and I really love it when he is happy. He was... unhappy when I last saw him. And I was too... hugely because he was sad and confused. Perhaps it is a blessing in disguise that I will not see him for two weeks... I might take better care of myself than I would have otherwise.<br /><br />I am worried about work... work work work. I'm a TA for a particularly challenging chemistry class. Analytical chemistry. I love the subject.<br /><br />But sometimes I do not love the TA position. Usually these times include non-chemistry gifted students... I understand them, kind of. I will probably never be gifted at economics, or physics, or perhaps even organic chemistry...<br /><br />I'm just worried that I'm dealing with them in entirely the wrong way! See, I wonder, for instance about the whole giving your students a fish/ teaching them to fish sort of thing. Most of the students don't know how to think in a way that is conducive to good chemistry work. My job isn't ACTUALLY to teach them chemistry. It's to teach them chemistry thinking skills.<br /><br />I was also stressing out about how the class was split in two... The whole class can't fit in one lab room, so half are in the north lab and the others are in the south lab. I patrol the north lab to answer questions and concerns... These are my students.<br /><br />I was a little freaked out when I started to notice a trend... the student on the other side were scoring higher on quizzes. And only students (and a fair number of them, actually) on my side failed to include important stuff in their lab notebooks.<br /><br />So, for a short while, I was scared that this was occurring because I was a bad TA... and who knows, this could be it. It might actually be that somehow, the smarter students just happened to choose the south lab.<br /><br />I felt better today when I saw that the students in my lab scored about 5-10 points higher than the students in the other lab. Did I feel super good about that? Actually... yes.<br /><br />Am I prideful?<br /><br />Yes, I think so. I require humbling.<br /><br />Maybe I will clean my apartment this week. I have like clean cleaned it for a while. I crave the clean clean though, so I should do it. It will also be a good thing.<br /><br />There are new men in the ward. Some of them are cute. I hate when that happens, especially when it means I am single and they can ask me on dates. Crap.<br /><br />I still do not know where I am going to live for the next fall/winter. Also crap.<br /><br />And, as of today, here is the rest of my school plans until I graduate. DUDE. It is close enough that I can plan this much. Also also crap.<br /><br />Fall 2010: biochemistry 1, cell biology, advanced physiology lab, civilization 2/arts, university chorale, advanced social dance, and the second half of the D&C.<br /><br />Winter 2011: biochemistry 2, bioethics, behavioral neuroscience, advanced neuroscience, neuroscience lab, advanced social dance, and the second half of the OT.<br /><br />Spring & Summer 2011: human anatomy, statistics, civilization 1, first half of the D&C, and then perhaps one last semester of advanced social dance. <br /><br />AUGUST 2011: GRADU-FREAKY-ATION!<br /><br />Sound good to you? Me freaking too. But also also also crap. That is a LOT of science. Well... I do have to freaking FINISH MY MAJOR. And none of this science nonsense that I need is even offered for spring/summer. Sadness of days, indeed.<br /><br />And what is also^4 crap? I have no clue what I'll do after graduation. I take comfort in planning my life out in as much detail as possible. And the way my life is going I also planned that Winter 2011 would be the worst time to be planning a wedding. So I've decided in my mortal wisdom that if I get married in 2011... it will have to be in January before that semester starts, or in September. Which might be pretty darned perfect... engagement pictures in spring would be good.<br /><br />Unfortunately, this whole planning your wedding thing when you don't know who your eternal companion is or when you and him will get married is inherently flawed. This is also^5 crap. Nevertheless I picked out my wedding colors... erm... recently. Royal blue and pale gold. White and black accents. Classy? Yes.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.tiesplanet.com/ekmps/shops/tiesplanet/images/plain-royal-blue-satin-tie.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 250px; height: 175px;" src="http://www.cheapchaircovers.com/_images/ProductIcons/SatinLarge/Satin_Royal_Blue_jpg.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.thesilkyway.net/ekmps/shops/jkp155/images/half-metre-pure-raw-silk-fabric-gold-2344-p.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 100px; height: 175px;" src="http://www.cheapchaircovers.com/_images/ProductIcons/SatinLarge/Satin_Black_jpg.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.tiesplanet.com/ekmps/shops/tiesplanet/images/plain-royal-blue-satin-tie.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 100px; height: 175px;" src="http://www.cheapchaircovers.com/_images/ProductIcons/SatinLarge/Satin_White_jpg.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.thesilkyway.net/ekmps/shops/jkp155/images/half-metre-pure-raw-silk-fabric-gold-2344-p.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 250px; height: 175px;" src="http://www.cheapchaircovers.com/_images/ProductIcons/SatinLarge/Satin_Gold_jpg.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><br /><br />But... besides colors... I don't want to think about weddings right now.Jennifer Diltshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15203687466212299995noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4893620557679956608.post-55617852286397608412010-05-06T09:21:00.000-07:002010-05-06T09:43:56.149-07:00Hmmm... Hobbies?It came to my attention as soon as I finished up this last semester that I really have no hobbies. This is a direct result of never having free time. How incredibly lame. Especially when you're on a date and guy asks, "So... what do you do in your free time?"<br /><br />Yeah. I have no good answer. At all. Mostly I'd spend my time studying, sleeping, dancing, sleeping, studying, sleeping, and you know... eating. Nom nom nom.<br /><br />In the last few school-less weeks, I've noticed a few other things I like to do with my free time.<br /><br />1) Movies. I've been watching a movie nearly every night for a few months. Who knew?<br /><br />2) Reading. I did like to do this when I was little. I've been craving a good read... and alas, I have no books.<br /><br />3) People. I like finding people I love, listening to them, and doing what they want to do.<br /><br />4) Coloring. I knew this. It just never came to mind as a hobby.<br /><br />5) Writing. I also love to write, and so... I should do that more often.<br /><br />6) Cooking/baking. I need to make a pie for May. It might have to be chocolate creme because I heart chocolate creme.<br /><br />7) Others yet to be discovered...<br /><br />I've still been super busy... except for homework... there isn't any. None. Whoa! As for work though, I love both my jobs. The Chemistry Central Stockroom is so wonderful. The manager, Gypzy, is so cool. And the assistant manager, Linda, is so sweet and maternal, it just makes me warm fuzzy. That place is just fun. I think I want to get those two Mother's Day presents. Because, um, they're cool. And they've been like mothers to me. I'm also a teaching assistant for analytical chemistry. I love that too.<br /><br />Except when I get really dumb questions. Like when a student has a very obviously green solution, and pesters me, begging me to tell them if their solution is green. It seems like none of them have any confidence in the laboratory. (Well, that's an exaggeration... not all of them asked me color questions.)<br /><br />And then one poor student was partially color blind, and really couldn't tell if his solution was a certain color or not. I was totally fed up with this kid, until he finally mentioned in a bit of embarrassment that no really -- he couldn't tell. Color blind! Yikes. That made me feel a bit bad...<br /><br />Anything else exciting in my life?<br /><br />... Oh, duh. Boyfriend! Eee! His name is James and he's fun, and smart, and exciting, and good-looking, and I like him, and he likes me, and he's got some mad skills. But I'm not one to go on and on and on about boys. I'm still not quite okay with this whole not being immune to crushes thing. And he is, however, leaving Provo in a few months... which does make me squirm a little. Squirm. Squirm. Squirm.<br /><br />Okay, I'm done. I have to run out the door in seven minutes to get to work on time.Jennifer Diltshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15203687466212299995noreply@blogger.com3